The present application relates to the prerecording of audio tape, and in particular to a method of prerecording sequence dependent information onto an audio tape monaurally, as well as an apparatus for use therewith.
Various magnetic audio recording tapes and tape cassettes are conventionally known in the art. Typically, such audio tapes are used with a stereophonic tape recording and playing device in order to produce a multi-track tape that reproduces stereophonic sound. Normally, such conventional stereo tape recording and replay equipment include a reel mechanism that advances the tape past a split pick-up head. The pick-up head simultaneously reads two adjacent magnetic tracks of encoded information on the tape, each track corresponding to one channel of the stereophonic signal. Since the pick-up head either simultaneously records or replays the two adjacent tracks, complementary signals are encoded on each track or channel so as to be harmoniously mixed during replaying of the tape. Normally, the audio tape includes two pair or four separate recording tracks. This allows the tape to be played in each direction, with two adjacent tracks being dedicated to the two stereo channels in each direction.
Most conventional audio tape players utilize one of two methods to select the direction of tape play or advancement and the particular pair of tracks to be played. In one class of tape playing devices the split pick-up head maintains a single orientation. The tape is sufficiently wide that when the tape is loaded into the playing device only two of the tracks adjacent one edge of the tape are accessed by the pick-up head. In order to change the tracks to be played the tape must be manually removed from the player unit, turned over and reinserted for play in the opposite direction. In the second class of tape playing devices, the pick-up head itself is rotated and shifted within the device so as to be inverted and access the unplayed pair of tracks. The direction of tape travel or advancement within the device is also reversed.
Heretofore magnetic audio tapes have been prerecorded with two monaural signals on two adjacent tracks in the same direction. Such prerecorded tapes find use in certain specific applications, for example, in foreign language instruction and the like. The English material or questions are recorded on one track separated by silent pauses, while the foreign language counterpart is recorded on the second track at the locations corresponding to the pauses. With such a prerecorded tape the user may listen to the tape in a conventional fashion to hear the English phrase followed immediately by the foreign language counterpart. However, the user may also operate the balance control of the stereo tape player in order to select a single track or channel to be played. By setting the balance to produce a maximum volume on one channel and a minimum volume on the other, the student can select either the English phrase or the foreign language counterpart only to be replayed.
In other applications conventional stereo audio tapes have been recorded with monaural information on the adjacent tracks normally used to record stereophonic information. For example, verbal material has been recorded on one track, such as a foreign language, while background sounds or music relating to the verbal material is recorded on the second track. The two tracks can therefore be replayed simultaneously with the background sounds complementing the spoken information. Stereophonic audio tapes have also been prerecorded with background music on four separate tracks to be used in the replaying of monaural background music in stores and the like.
Heretofore, however, there has not been available a method of prerecording audio tapes that substantially increases the storage capacity of the tape with sequence dependent or serialized information and which also permits the replaying of the entire tape with a minimal amount of control adjustment.